Environment Benevolent Biodegradable Polymers: Synthesis, Biodegradability, and Applications

Abstract

The increasing amount of synthetic polymers above the permissible limits is causing a lot of environmental pollution and is one of the greatest threats to the modern world. There is a growing demand for biodegradable polymeric materials derived from nature and is being seen as a solution for solid waste management. Biodegradable materials have been found to show a pronounced impact in case of environmental protection. Such biodegradable and eco-friendly materials have got diversified applications including sustained drug delivery devices, gene therapy, soft-tissue engineering, biomedical engineering, pharmaceuticals, artificial organ design, etc. Biodegradable materials have been found to possess good elasticity and impact strength because of which they have got potential applications in replacement of heart valves and kidneys. Moreover, such materials have been found to exhibit selective absorption toward saline water and are of great importance in petroleum industry as well as in desalination of water. Recently, such materials have been found to show electrical stimulus sensitivity both under the influence of AC and DC. These polymers have been found to be stimuli responsive and could be of great significance for drug and pesticide/fungicide delivery devices. Such materials are also pH sensitive toward different media and are of potential industrial usage in packaging and nursery plantation as well as in tissue culturing.